Combined track and roller support for freight-car doors.



PATBNTED MAB. io, 1.903:l

P. WILLIAMS', COMBINED TRAGK'AND ROLLER' SUPPORT ron FREIGHT cAR'DooRsgAPPLICATION FILED HAY 16, 1907.

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JAMES P. WILLIAMS, OFl NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

COMBINED TRACK AND ROLLER SUPPORTv FOR FREIGHT-CAR DOORS.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 10, 1908,.l

Application filed May 16, 1907. \Serial No. 374,093. r

1 of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Combined'Track and Roller Support for Freight-Car Doors, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relatesto a door for freight, stock and similar cars,whereby the door can be firmly locked in closed position and is designedto do away with the destructive practice of securing the door in closedposition by nailing cleats on the door and side of the car, a practicewhich is extremely expensive and-inconvenient and often necessitatesrepair of the car doors.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a comparativelysimple, inexpensive and substantial means for clamping a door in closedposition and which is comparatively easy and convenient to operate.

A further object ofthe invention is the employment of a bottom trackrail on which the car door moves, andxwhich is composed of sectionsarranged in such a manner that at least one of them can be tilted sothat the door is incapable of passing thereover.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments ofthe invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a freight car of theordinary box type, and showing the side door in open position. Fig. 2 isan enlarged side view of the middle portion of the car showing the doorin closed position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical transverse section online 3--3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of one of the railadjusting screws.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the body of a car of abox or anyother ap roved type, and B, one of the side doors t ereof. This doorruns at its upper edge in a guide 1 on the side of the car in the usualmanner and at the bottom of the door are provided rollers 2 for ridingon the bottom track rail 3,

the rollers being arranged in brackets 4 on opposite sides' of Ithedoor. The brackets project downwardly beyond the bottom of the door andhave horizontal slots 5 for receiving the axles 6 of the rollers. Thebottom track rail 3 is preferably composedof two sections 7 'and 8arranged end to end and preferably hingedly connected at 8 Each sectionhas vertically extending slots 9 through which project bolts 1() thatsecure the sections of the rail on the car.

Ther railsections 7 and 8 each rest on a pair of shoes 11 of U-shape incross-section for receiving the bottom edge of the rail sections andthese members are supported on the upper ends of adjusting screws 12ythat engage in threaded brackets 13 on the sides of the car, there beinga swivel joint between each screw and its rail-engaging member 11. Thelower ends of the screws are squared or otherwise formed to receive aturning crank or wrench. By this means, the bottom rail 3 for the cardoor can' be moved bodily to any desired position to hold the doorproperly in place.` When the rail sections 7 and 8 are in erfectalinement, so that the to edge of the rail 3 is horizontal, the door Bcan be freely moved back and forth. Whenever it is desired to hold thedoor in closed position, it is merely necessary to tilt the section 8 ofthe railby turning the adjusting screws 12 in such a way as to elevatethe `free end of the rail section 8. By this means, the door would haveto move up an incline in attempting to slide open. Furthermore, thespace between the outer end of the section 8 and the top rail 1 is toolimited to accommodate the door, so that it would be impossible for thelatter to be moved open. It will thus be seen that as long as the railis in the position shown in Fig. 2, no unauthorized person can force thedoor open since it requires an operating crank to lower the rail section8 to normal position. It is to be further, understood that since thesection 7 is adjustable, the car door can also be held in open positionif such is desired.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of loperation of the invention, together with the apparatuswhich 4I now conslder to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire tohave it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative andthat such changes may be made when desired, as are within the scope ofthe claims.

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what I claim is l1. Thecombination of a car body having an opening, a door-supporting trackmounted on the car below the opening and having independently adjustablesections arranged end to end, one of the sections being shorter than thewidth of the opening and normally disposed under the same, anddoor-guiding means on the car above the opening, with a door supportedon and movable over the i' devices attached to the car door and engagingthe track for inovably supporting the door on the latter.

3. The combination oi a car body, an edgesections and on which theelements bear,

bearings on the side of the car at a point below the sections, screwsengaging in the bearings, members on the screws ior receiving the railsections, and swivel joints between the screws and members.

4. The combination with a car body, an

track and having its top engaged by the said l edgewise movable doorthereon, a track rail guiding means.

2. The combination of a car body, a rail composed of independentlyadjustable sections and having vertical slots, fastenings passingthrough the slots and secured to the car body, bearings on the car bodydisposed under the track, vertically-extending screws in the bearings,devices on which the sections of the track rest, and swiveled jointsbetween the devices and screws, with a car door, and

composed of hingedly connected sections, spaced rollers on the door andmovable on the sections, and means for independently tilting both of thesections.

In testimony whereof, I a'llx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES P. IVILLIAMS. Vitnesses:

JAs. Sins, L. S. HYDE.

